Thanksgiving!

This morning I woke up to the sound of my sons singing the Thanksgiving song. You know the one, it goes something like this…..”Thanksgiving day is a happy day, when we say Thank you God”……..as we all sang the chorus around the house, because we couldn’t remember the other words, I began to ponder all that I want to tell God I am thankful for. I’m not trying to be all sentimental, but honest, and I really have a lot to be thankful for this year. I am thankful for our new Westlake campus. We have had the privilege to see many people who are looking for a Church family come to the Westlake campus. I have met many new people with great God stories, and I have met some who are waiting to see their God story happen! I can truly say thank you God for Westlake and the great honor to be a part of the journey. I am thankful today for my family and especially the addition of my daughter Mahala. Last year we were expecting her and this year…….she is sitting in the living room crying!……I never thought I would have a daughter and now that she is here, I am thankful and humbled all at the same time.  

It has been a fast year. It has been a hard year. It has been a historic year. The economy has been up and down, mostly down with some historic lows and fall outs. We have a new President-Elect, who will be the first African-American President. 2008 has proven to be a one-of-a-kind year. But even in the midst of all the changes, worry, and excitement, God has given us all some things to be thankful for. I have many more things that I am thankful for and will share with you soon. But I have a question for you……….Today what are you thankful for? Be Bold, Be proud, Be thankful. Tell us all what you are thankful for!

IPod Users!

I love music. I can honestly say that I am a fan of all music. I can’t imagine living life without music. Music is the soundtrack for our everyday life. Music is so influential in all of our lives. We can hear a specific song and remember where we were, what we were doing, and who we were with. I also know that for many the issue of music is a very sensitive subject. Music lovers are loyal to their favorite artist and their preferred Genre of music. Country music fans love those great country music ballads, Classic Rock fans love those Southern rock tunes, Christian music fans love their praise and worship songs with a message, Hip Hop fans dig their music with a beat, it’s been said that Classical music sets a mood of learning and study, and Jazz music speaks to the soul of a man. I love my music and I have to have variety in my listening. I am addicted to itunes because I can buy individual songs to meet the demand of my listening at that particular moment. No one likes to spend 16 dollars for 10 songs when you really only like 2 songs on the album. I really can’t remember when the last time was that I downloaded a fully album. Itunes and my Ipod has changed the way I listen to music. Just this week I have listened to Country, Classic Rock, Praise and Worship, and even some movie Soundtracks. I LOVE MY ITUNES AND MY IPOD!

Question - What are you listening to? What is your favorite Song? What is your favorite band or singer? Why? What’s on your ipod? I look forward to hearing from you, don’t disappoint me. I am anxious to download some New Music, so hook me up with your favorites.

Where is the line?

I had a very interesting conversation today. One in which I would like to invite you to continue with me. Where is the line for speakers for a church event? Is it ok to have non-believers speak at Church events? When is the attempt to draw a crowd or reach a demographic going to far? We have all been to events simply because of the “BIG NAME” key note speaker. You weren’t necessarily interested in the event, but you wanted to see the speaker in person, so you went. Churches have often, invited professing Christians, and some who were non-professing Christians, with a nationally known name to speak at an event in the hopes of attracting the multitudes in an effort to share the Gospel. Most of us don’t think about it, we go or we don’t, but do you think the Gospel is blurred by a well intended effort? Or is it possible to leverage the fame of a random person (athlete, CEO, Rockstar, Actor, blogger, etc) to maximize the attempt to share the Fame of our savior?

What do you think? Where is the line? Does it matter?

Candy, Candy, Candy

I don’t know if you and your family acknowledge Halloween, but we have decided that Candy is a good motivation to get dressed up! In fact this year we dressed up like Spiderman, Batman, the Incredible Hulk, and a butterfly, and would you believe, we bagged some serious Candy. I must admit I encouraged the superheroes to pursue the always fulfilling “Milk Duds” yum! We visited the grandparents and once again we were not disappointed.

Question – What is your must have Candy?

Determine what you are Determined about!

5. Refuse to stop pursuing the Dreams God has given YOU!

What are you Passionate about? What is the dream of your life? What is the one thing that you long to achieve? If you could do anything what would it be? I find that a lot of people have let their dreams die. Someone said they couldn’t do it, they weren’t good enough, it would never happen, or they have even experienced failure in pursuing. I think some of the saddest individuals, are those who have watched their dreams die, and the spark of life is gone from their eye. They have chosen instead to live a life of the mundane instead of a life of adventure. I can’t help but think that when God says we are His “Workmanship” which literally means One of a kind, that He designs one of a kind dreams and adventures for our lives. In fact Ephesians 2 goes on to say that these “Workmanships” “were created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Don’t you think that those good works are “one of a kind”, crazy, outrageous, incredible, works that He designed just for you. He could have created them for anybody but He thought of you and made you a “one of a kind” for a “one of a kind task”! Wow! That to me sounds incredible. It sounds fun. It sounds like life should be pretty amazing. That we, who are created in Christ, should live a life that we are determined to live out and to watch unfold, as God designs it! It seems to me that if you believed that you would be passionate about it. Passion, is the understanding, of what are you willing to suffer for. So when you determine what you are passionate about, you are determined what you are willing to suffer for, and you have determined what you are determined about. You have found the dream God has planted in your heart, the God centered dream that He has created you for, and you live your life pursuing it, knowing that the living out of that dream brings maximum Joy to Christ and ultimate satisfaction to our life. We become men and women who will not stop, not give up, not walk away, not lose heart, we must live the life God created us to live exercising the gifts He has given us, so that this short life brings Glory to Him! When we live that way, we find our ultimate Joy in Christ, and He uses us and our lives for His ultimate Glory! Refuse to give up on the dreams God has given you! Be faithful in the gifts and talents that He gave you. Be passionate, be courageous, be faithful.

Refuse to sacrifice the permanent on the Temporary

4. Spend time with those who will cry at your funeral.

One of the greatest statements that my mentor ever said to me was simply, “Phillip, Spend the majority of your time with the people who will cry at your funeral.” I must admit, that statement caught me off guard. I really didn’t know what he was telling me. But what I have learned is that one statement may be one of the greatest and hardest lessons to learn. I spend so much of my time and my day pleasing people I think I have to please. I’m constantly wondering if I have done enough. If I could have done more to meet the needs and desires of that other person. The truth is that I have 3 boys, 1 daughter, and a wife who need my attention. They have simply request like, take me to dunk’n doughnuts, or let’s play outside, or can you rock her to sleep, and most of the time I’m too busy meeting the needs of others. How many times have I been guilty of not taking the time to rearrange my schedule so I can be the one to tuck my boys into bed. Or say no to that meeting so that I can be the one who is helping with my daughters first baby pictures. The fact is, many people would like to have our attention, but there are a few people who God has given us, that NEED our attention. When these days are over, it will be the ones who NEEDED me that will CRY for me. As one man said it best, ‘REFUSE to sacrifice the Permanent on the temporary!”

Pain is part of Loving Others

3. Often it is the people you are closest to that hurts you the deepest.

When you read this point, you may be just a little confused. I know when I was being mentored this understanding really puzzled me. I am first a relational person. I am a people pleaser, but more then that I desire to help others. Often I lead with my heart and fail to understand that I could be hurt by the person I trusting and helping. Making yourself vulnerable to be close to someone is always a scary thing. It is a lot easier to just keep people at a distance, but when you decide to really invest and love someone, get involved in their life, and let them see you for who you are, you must realize that you might get hurt. I don’t know why it happens, but it does. However, I have found the most fulfilling relationships I have ever had has been with the people I made myself most vulnerable with. I think you will find that it is worth the risk of being hurt, because you just might find you really impacted someone for their life for the better and you might have made a friend that knows you like no other. It is a lot easier to hide behind walls and refrain from being vulnerable, but you need someone just as much as they need you.